I've noticed lots of people starting to do their own bodywork. Lets all put this up and give some tips. I've did all my own work on me 89 CRX Si. here's some pics.

This was a nasty hole in the passenger rear quarter window.



The black on the edges is POR-15 rust stop stuff. Works great too. I left the edges jagged so a fiberglass plug would hold.

I ruffed the inside of the panel with 80 grit sandpaper. I took fiberglass LONG strand woven cloth. This stuff kinda looks like straw. Then take some fiberglass, I used this stuff referred to as Angels hair. It's a green gel with strands in it.

Mix the fiberglass resin and spread onto the cloth. I stuck the matting in from the inside/ out and duck taped cardboard to hold it while curing. After it hardened I knocked it down a little 80 grit and then used body filler to smooth it out.

here's the end result with out trim to cover the high rise though.

 

Those pics suck, I really have no idea what you did to the car. The back still looks all rippley, or is that just a reflection?

 

Nice anything you can ADD to the thread.

The first pic is a closeup of of the area circled in red here

 

If you fixed it from rusty hole to what it was in that last picture that is a damn good job.

 

I would like to add my experiences-
1. Never use large quantities of "bondo" for repairs. You will have a longer lasting one if you use sheet steel either welded or riveted to the hole. The real trick is to completely remove all evidence of the rust that you can and then patch. The high strength "bondo" products are very good and long lasting when properly applied in a thin coat.
2. A very important point about uni-body cars is that many of the panels are actually stressed members and need to be as strong as possible. Take a close look at how a CRX is assembled (dealer parts sheet) and you will see the pieces. For those with an 88-91 Si that has a rusted or non-working sunroof, there is an alternative-get a body shop to install a new OEM DX roof panel. The entire sunroof will be gone as is the case with my ITA car. Again the trick here is to properly cut the old panel away and weld in the new one.
The repair shown above is a good solution when there is little room to get inside. Windows are not easy to remove in 1 piece. BTW: I was able to buy all of the exterior rubber moldings for my car from the dealer (expensive, but what the hey after 14 years of harsh Carolina sun).
Practice your skills and the repairs will be just like the pros <BG>.

 

At my shop we remove any rusted areas enough to fit in a suitable replacement sheet metal patch to weld back in place, grind the weld beads smooth [weld in spots and then let cool to avoid warpage] then acid wash the area to remove any surface rust [muriatic acid (30% hydrochloric) and lots of ventilation], neutralize it with soda ash [baking soda] in water, let it dry and then primer before using any metal glaze compound to smooth the lines of the body. Once you're happy, paint, and you're done, beautiful

Car restoration, I love it, has made me a jack of all trades

 

Ok, little off-topic, but when, if at all, is a rust-proof coat needed? I live on the west coast (san diego), and the ocean winds have a slight but present damage factor. If I were to have my car sanded, primed, and repainted, would I need to do a rustproof coat once I got it down to bare metal?

the car (91 crx si) is completely rust free, its lived its whole life in california, but I certainly wouldn't want to cause any rust should I repaint it. Any ideas? thanks

 

1st off nice job with the body work jdblack1 but y are the bodylines off ???

AwwsChwA I would say if your car is doing good now try getting the inner part of your panels prepped and painted and then rust proofed and if u have any nicks or ships get them fixed because that’s where your rust is guna start 1st.

I’m getting most of my panels new from Honda and im guna get them painted front and back for better rust protection. This will cost more but if im guna put the $$$ in to make it show ready then I want it to last not fall apart in a few years.

 

Project Rage. the body lines are off because I wasn't completely finished as you can tell, I have no trim peices on. the trim peices will cover that up. It cost me about $20 to fix that hole.

Yes welded sheet metal would last longer, but I don't have a welder and I didnt' want to pay anyone to do it. I've done EVERY single peice of work to this car.

 

i just fixed a dent that was kinda like the rust spot by your window, but it was by my taillights... and it worked pretty good. i also just shaved my side moldings and covered up the holes with bondo. today i just painted the whole thing with primer, it looks pretty nice now...